Sethtath 2033
by Captain Zippy
Summary: In the year 2033, the world continues under the Age of Darkness. No one knows what exactly what caused the cataclysm in 2012, some accusing Dwarven lava weaponry and others claiming Armok reforged the world for his amusement. No matter what ocurred, it is known that the world as the Dwarves knew it is no more, and now, Zamos, one of the last Dwarves, must help pick up the pieces.


**SETHTATH**

**FALSE DUSK**

**YEAR: 2033**

**LAST HOME OF THE DWARVES**

Zanos leaned on the wall, his crossbow in hand. The sign hanging from atop the tunnel entrance creaked as a gust of chilling wind struck, and the creaking sound of the rusty chains holding the piece of metal sent more shivers down his spine than the wind. His blind cave bear jacket hardly kept the freezing cold from gripping his gut, and he was sure he would have frozen if it had not been for the plump helmet ale still sitting in his stomach.

He glanced to his side, the lever sitting on the opposite wall and practically asking him to pull. He knew the second he did that he'd be safe from the abominations of the outside world, the desolate remains of what was once Sethtath, former home of the Dwarves. He could see creatures flying between the burned out husks of what were once mighty towers, the monster screeching challenges at each other

But he had to wait, he knew the scavenging team would be coming soon, if they weren't dead. The ten Dwarves that made up Medenborik, as they called themselves, would be late if they got back, which they always were. Zanos sighed and fiddled with his crossbow, wishing he was one of the brave Dwarves who left the security of the tunnels for the adventure of the great ruins outside, but he knew these to be little else than dreams and contented himself that he got to stand at the gate, a job closer to the outside than almost any other.

A screech echoed across the wasteland, being carried with a particularly strong gust of wind. Zanos's eyes widened at the sound and he made a step for the lever before remembering Medenborik and stepping back again. He gripped his crossbow even tighter than he had before, new found fear gripping him. He was used to the screams of the beasts outside, but he had never heard one so close.

Another screech, then another, each getting progressively closer. The sound was completely indwarven, only one creature Zanos knew made a call such as that...

Zanos took a step back as a shadow drifted over the entrance, the creature hovering directly over the gate of the fortress. He could hear the beat of its wings and a blood curling cry as the creature caught Zanos's scent, the shadow lifted off, sending snow across the ground as the creature made its move and Zanos ran to the lever. If the beasts were attacking this close, Medenborik had to have been killed.

He made it three feet of twenty when the beast swooped through the snow and into the tunnel, colliding with Zanos. Zanos was knocked over and tumbled backwards, the world spinning has he focused on nothing besides retaining a grip on his crossbow. He landed in a pile of snow and gasped as he looked up, the Nightwing walking towards him.

The creature was horrifying to behold, huge for one of his kind, his stretched skin showing off an emaciated body. Two horns poked through a scraggly mane of fur, and his teeth glistened with blood from other pray in his mouth. The Nightwing screeched again and swooped in for the kill, but Zanos was faster and brought his crossbow up from his prone position.

There was a satisfying **THWACK!** and the Nightwing stumbled back in pain as the bolt lodged in his chest. Zanos began reloading but the Nightwing simply looked at him angrily and ran forward, smacking the iron crossbow out of his hand. Zanos gasped in fear and grabbed the ax from his belt but the creature saw his move and smacked that away as well.

He found himself backing up into the wall as the creature screeched yet again, spit and blood splattering Zanos's cringing face, drenching his trimmed beard. The Dwarf grasped nearby himself aimlessly until his hand found an old pipe on the floor, the texture of rust easily felt through his tattered glove. He swung as hard as he could as the Nightwing went in for a bite and his arm went numb as the impromptu weapon cracked the creatures skull.

The Nightwing's Jackal like head snapped to the side and it toppled over, crying in pain. Zanos threw away the pipe and scooped his silver waraxefrom the ground, pulling it up to its hilt. He gave a momentary glance at the scenes of battle carved in the side before swinging it down into the back of the creatures skull. The Nightwing screamed yet again but its cries faded as Zanos swung again and again, grimacing at the messy work. The creatures head took the full force of the impact and Zanos felt the skull jam through the brain as he chopped away.

When he was satisfied the creature had given into the pain, Zanos stumbled to his feet, slipping the ax back into his belt and picking his crossbow back up. He jogged towards the lever when he heard another series of Nightwing cries, but he heard Dwarven ones carry through the wind as well.

Zanos turned just in time to see Medenborik sprinting over the horizon, eight of the ten Dwarves running towards the fort. Two of them were carried over the back of their comrades but the battered squad made good progress regardless.

But Zanos hardly looked at them, instead his vision was drawn to the creatures behind them. Dozens of silhouetted beasts, hundreds, flew and ran behind the Dwarves. Zanos recognized the shapes of Nightwings, screeching and occasionally battling each other for food rights, but there were... other creatures there too. Even more horrifying to behold than the Nightwings.

One of the Dwarves, Sankis something or another, cried a warning before a skeletal monster landed on his back and spewed fire onto the screaming Dwarf. Sankis managed to cut down the beast and a swooping Nightwing with his ax before he collapsed from the flames, the other Dwarves hardly sparing a glance before they continued their run. They'd remember their dead friend with drinks later, but now was only survival.

Nightwings swooped down to cut off the Dwarves and Zanos was frozen as two of them turned towards him, seeing easier pray in the smaller Dwarf. Zanos glanced at the lever, realized he couldn't close the doors without killing his fellow Dwarves and began reloading the crossbow.

He cranked the weapon just in time as one of the Nightwings screeched and flew at him, his arms shuddering as the bolt flew from the crossbow and impaled the Nightwing through the eye. The creature's momentum carried him on and Zanos dove to the side to avoid the creature, the tumbling body smashing into the ground in a bout of gore and crunching against the wall on the opposite side of the door.

The other Nightwing veered off, realizing his prey would not be so easily caught and Zanos breathed in relief as the Dwarves got closer and closer. His hand found the lever and he cried out encouragement as the Dwarves ran to the door.

Izeg ran in, tripped on a rock and promptly tumbled after the Nightwing, his armor sounding like a bunch of tin cans rattling. Urist came after him, the Dwarf spinning around as he crossed under the roof of the tunnel and throwing one of his many daggers at the flying Nightwings, the large copper knife cutting open one of the monster's wings, causing the Nightwing to fly straight into an old billboard to the side of the paved gabbro road.

Then came hairy Uvel, his beard swinging from under his helmet to his ankles. The huge Dwarf carried his massive steel battleaxe in one hand and the bleeding Nashon in his other, the smaller Dwarf looking even smaller in the large ones hand as blood poured from dozens of wounds.

Egdoth was next, the sly man carrying his copper bow over his shoulder as he ran in order to help him carry Og, Izeg's equally incompetent brother. The beardless Dwarf ran straight past Zanos and into the shelter of the tunnel. Zanos had never liked the man, a hairless Dwarf was little more than one of the Elves he had read about in the stories of old.

Lokast was last, the Dwarf wasn't as large as Uvel or as muscled as Izeg but he was clearly the most veteran of the group. Nightwing ears hung around his neck on a string, his two large cleavers dripping blood in his hands as he ran in and then immediately turned and prepared to fend off the creatures. He shouted several orders and Uvel and Izeg were soon next to him, weapons held high.

Looking out one last time, Zanos saw no other Dwarves on the horizon and gladly yanked the lever down. An Ogre with half his skin missing let out a challenge and charged with his club held high, the forty foot beast nearly made it in when the metal door to the fortress groaned and then slammed into the ground, only a few feet from the Ogre.

There was a silence, only broken by the sounds of muted screeching as the creatures realized they had failed to catch their prey. After a bit, the Dwarves all began laughing hysterically at their luck, with Zanos looking dumbfounded.

"What the bloody hell was that all about!?" he demanded, pointing at the door for emphasis. Red emergency lights gave little light to the ragtag band of Dwarves, and he strained to see the faces of the Dwarves around him. Urist's face appeared in the darkness suddenly, the sly Dwarf slipping out of a shadow in front of Zanos, a wide grin on his face.

"We found it you idiot! We found it!" Zanos stepped back in surprise and then frowned. The scrap teams had never been this excited to find anything.

"What did you idiots find?" Zanos asked, his voice slowly losing its edge. The men all turned to Uvel, the black void of the Dwarf's glorious braided beard broken only by the white of his teeth as he smiled with the rest.

"This lad, we found this..." and with that, the man pulled the sword from his beard. The blue construction of Dwarven masterwork making Zanos's eyes widened, and before the Dwarves knew it, they all began sending their praises to the gods.


End file.
